On supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

B100200/2026

European Parliament resolution on supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

(2026/2701(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and the South Caucasus, in particular that of 13 March 2024 on closer ties between the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh, including those of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, of 19 January 2023 on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh, of 13 March 2025 on the unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan, and of 24 October 2024 on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia,

– having regard to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part, which serves as the legal basis for cooperation between the two sides and has been a landmark document for further democratic reforms,

– having regard to the sixth EU-Armenia Partnership Council of 2 December 2025 in Brussels and to the adoption of the Strategic Agenda for the Armenia-EU Partnership,

– having regard to the law adopted by Armenia’s National Assembly on 26 March 2025 launching the country’s EU accession process,

– having regard to the leaders’ meeting of 14 July 2025 between the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,

– having regard to the EU Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation with Armenia of 5 November 2025,

– having regard to the Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia and the EU’s investment commitments in Armenia under the Global Gateway in support of connectivity, economic development and reform,

– having regard to the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Armenia establishing a framework for the participation of the Republic of Armenia in European Union crisis management operations, in force since 1 January 2026,

– having regard to the ratification of the common security and defence policy framework participation agreement, which creates new opportunities for deeper and more active cooperation in the field of international crisis management missions under the EU auspices,

– having regard to the extension of the mandate of the EU Mission in Armenia until 19 February 2027, to the establishment on 21 April 2026 of the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia to strengthen democratic resilience, and to the assistance measures under the European Peace Facility bringing total support to EUR 30 million,

– having regard to the Council decision to deploy a second EU civilian mission in Armenia, aimed at strengthening democratic resilience and countering hybrid threats, disinformation, cyberattacks and illicit financial flows,

– having regard to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) needs assessment mission report on the Armenian parliamentary elections of 7 June 2026, to the Armenian Government’s statements on credible elections, and to the Council of Europe’s 2026 pre-election work on media freedom, information integrity and media coverage of elections,

– having regard to the Washington Peace Summit of 8 August 2025,

– having regard to the first-ever EU-Armenia Summit, to be held from 4 to 5 May 2026 in Yerevan,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas EU-Armenia relations have entered a new phase, marked by a higher level of political engagement, an expanded security relationship and the prospect of concrete summit deliverables; whereas the EU is Armenia’s largest donor and its EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for 2024-2027 is already linked to wider Global Gateway investments;

B. whereas the June 2026 Armenian parliamentary elections are strategically important not only for domestic democratic consolidation, but also for the sustainability of peace, reform and closer cooperation with the EU; whereas Armenian officials have publicly framed the vote as a test of institutional readiness, democratic maturity and public trust;

C. whereas the Council established the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia specifically to strengthen Armenia’s democratic resilience and ability to manage crises linked to foreign information manipulation and interference, cyberattacks and illicit financial flows; whereas this confirms that democratic security is now a core pillar of the partnership;

D. whereas the ODIHR needs assessment mission found confidence in the technical capacity of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, but varying degrees of trust in its impartiality; whereas the ODIHR also noted concerns regarding the preparedness of precinct commissions, the cybersecurity of election-related systems, the ability of some displaced Armenians to participate, early campaigning, the misuse of administrative resources, voter pressure, unregulated third-party spending, delayed disclosure of campaign financing, media polarisation and pressure on journalists;

E. whereas the Armenian Government has stated that reliable and credible elections remain a fundamental and ongoing political commitment; whereas in 2026, the Council of Europe’s action plan for Armenia is explicitly aimed at strengthening the capacity of the public broadcaster, the audiovisual regulator, the Human Rights Defender’s Office, the Central Electoral Commission and other stakeholders to counter disinformation, improve media literacy and support media coverage of elections in the pre-election period;

F. whereas official EU and ODIHR documents point to the presence of foreign interference and multilayered hybrid threats in Armenia’s pre-election environment; whereas the European Parliament, speaking in wider Eastern Partnership terms, recently stated that Russia deliberately interferes in countries in the region through hybrid operations including election interference and foreign information manipulation and interference;

G. whereas the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission have backed Armenia’s sovereignty, democratic reforms and Crossroads of Peace initiative; whereas stable ties with the region remain strategically important for Armenia’s connectivity; whereas urgent humanitarian issues persist, including the unlawful detention of Armenian prisoners of war, the violation of the rights of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, the need to uphold the right to return in safety and dignity, and the protection of Armenian cultural and religious heritage; whereas the International Court of Justice has been cited in Council of Europe material as requiring that those who left after 19 September 2023 and wish to return be able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner; whereas UNESCO continues to work to send a mission to assess cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh;

1. Welcomes the unprecedented deepening of EU-Armenia relations and the decision to hold the first-ever EU-Armenia summit in May 2026; welcomes, furthermore, the decision to hold the eighth European Political Community meeting in Yerevan as a sign of Armenia’s growing place in the wider European political architecture;

2. Welcomes the adoption of the law in Armenia launching the country’s EU accession process and calls for the EU institutions and the Armenian authorities to support this political choice with practical steps, reform benchmarks and clear sequencing;

3. Strongly supports Armenia’s European aspirations and calls for the EU institutions to work closely with Armenia to develop a concrete accession roadmap, with tangible milestones to be achieved ahead of the country’s upcoming elections in 2026; recalls that any such pathway must remain merit-based, reform-driven and anchored in democracy, governance standards and respect for EU principles, the rule of law and fundamental rights;

4. Calls on the European Council and the Commission to double down on assistance to Armenia as a strategic partner; calls on the Commission to allocate a new budget for the Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia; stresses that any additional funding should prioritise institutional resilience, local development, digital governance, energy security and support for communities most vulnerable to coercion, interference and disinformation;

5. Welcomes the framework agreement on EU crisis management operations, the continuation of the EU Mission in Armenia and the creation of the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia as concrete steps towards a more operational partnership;

6. Encourages progress on visa liberalisation and calls for the EU institutions to set out and enforce clear, merit-based conditions and timelines for advancing the process; stresses that any progress on mobility should reflect compliance with EU criteria and, where achieved, such progress can support public confidence in reforms and regional stability;

7. Welcomes the decision to host the eighth European Political Community meeting in Armenia; commends the decision to hold the first-ever EU-Armenia Summit, and calls for EU and Armenian leaders to develop ambitious deliverables; stresses that these deliverables should include election resilience, cybersecurity support, strategic communication, institutional capacity building and a post-election implementation review;

8. Commends the decision of the EU Member States to provide EUR 30 million in assistance under the European Peace Facility to the Armenian Armed Forces and calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure the continuation of this assistance; notes that the Council has explicitly linked this support to Armenia’s resilience, civilian protection and closer security cooperation with the EU;

9. Calls for an EU-Armenia election resilience package to be launched, built around the protection of election-related systems, rapid incident communication, inter-agency coordination on cybersecurity and illicit finance risks, support for citizen observers and fact-checkers, and structured engagement with social media platforms and civil society;

10. Calls for the EU and its Member States to fully support the ODIHR’s election observation mission and to encourage rapid implementation of its recommendations on precinct preparedness, campaign conduct, finance transparency and the handling of interference risks;

11. Calls on the Armenian authorities to ensure the strict neutrality of state institutions, prevent the misuse of administrative resources, protect voters from pressure and intimidation, and guarantee that social policy announcements made in the pre-election period do not distort equal campaign conditions;

12. Calls for tighter oversight of campaign financing, including through earlier and more detailed publication of donors and expenditure, regulation of third-party campaigning, stronger investigative powers for oversight bodies and timely action in response to covert or excessive political spending;

13. Calls for stronger protection of media pluralism and editorial independence, the implementation of Council of Europe guidance on media coverage of elections, and safeguards against lawsuits, verbal attacks and threats aimed at silencing critical reporting;

14. Invites stakeholders to give due attention to the urgency of such a process, given the increasing threat of hybrid warfare, disinformation and foreign interference, particularly from Russia; stresses the importance of protecting Armenia’s democratic resilience and security in this context;

15. Stresses that all regional connectivity must respect the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, jurisdiction and reciprocity, and should reinforce rather than bypass Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative; welcomes the US-Armenia implementation framework for the Trump route for international peace and prosperity;

16. Reiterates its support for Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence; calls for a gradual reduction in structural dependencies that expose Armenia to coercion in critical sectors, and for deeper cooperation with the EU to build resilient alternatives in the fields of energy, transport, digital infrastructure and democratic security;

17. Welcomes the outcomes of the Washington Peace Summit and the commitment of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the peace process; encourages both sides to continue the constructive peace process, which will bring prosperity to the region;

18. Notes the release by Azerbaijan of some Armenian prisoners of war as a gesture of goodwill and a sign of normalisation of relations with Armenia; calls on Azerbaijan to release the remaining Armenian prisoners of war and detainees without further delay, which would help build trust between the two nations and pave the way for a comprehensive and lasting reconciliation in the South Caucasus;

19. Calls attention to the continued and extensive presence of Russian state-owned enterprises in Armenia, including in strategic sectors such as energy and transport, despite recent political moves towards the diversification and partial nationalisation of critical infrastructure; expresses concern that companies such as Gazprom and Russian Railways continue to operate in Armenia without restriction, thereby maintaining substantial economic and strategic leverage;

20. Encourages the European External Action Service to finalise a security and defence partnership with Armenia, thereby strengthening cooperation between the parties in these fields; stresses that in order to ensure a credible and effective partnership, it is essential for Armenia to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization and end its security dependence on Russia, thereby limiting external influence and reinforcing Armenia’s strategic autonomy;

21. Supports the Armenian Government in its efforts to provide essential assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians affected by ethnic cleansing, and demands that sufficient funding and resources be allocated to ensure the effectiveness of this support; reiterates that the rights of those forcibly displaced include dignity, security, the protection of property, identity and the possibility of safe and unimpeded return under international guarantees;

22. Calls for those responsible for the destruction and alteration of Armenian cultural, historical and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh to be held accountable, and supports renewed international pressure for a UNESCO mission to assess the state of the relevant sites;

23. Encourages the Commission to work closely with Armenia on joining the Single Euro Payments Area, which would enable fast and low-cost transactions with the EU; calls on the Commission and the Council to consider the current economic situation facing Armenia and to support its economic resilience, enhance trade opportunities and strengthen its economic cooperation with the EU;

24. Encourages Türkiye to reopen its border with Armenia and to uphold its commitments and agreements with Armenia; underlines, moreover, the strategic importance of stable regional relations and of a constructive EU-Georgia process for Armenia’s connectivity with Europe and for resilience in the South Caucasus;

25. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the President, Government and National Assembly of Armenia.